Incredibles 2

The belated sequel to The Incredibles (2004) is a non-stop action affair, albeit with some resonant contemporary themes.

It would be a
brave sequel to give us less for second helpings. Alas, Incredibles 2 waters down the domestic detail to make way for even more
superheroes à la Incredibles Assemble.
The original cartoon, written and directed by Brad Bird in 2004, was a true
original. It took the idea of a superhero who had to cope with the drudgery of
everyday life, while married to a woman with equally awesome crime-fighting
gifts. He was Mr Incredible, she was Elastigirl, and even their three kids had
superpowers – but they all had to keep their public personas under wraps. The
film, which won the Oscar for best animated feature, was fresh, irreverent, imaginative,
very funny and even thrilling (and, on occasion, quite moving).

The sequel,
also written and directed by Brad Bird, takes off where the first one left off,
in spite of a chronological gap of fourteen years. The Incredibles – the Parr
family – are battling the Underminer, when Violet, the Parrs’ daughter, let
slips her mask and is espied by Tony (Michael Bird, son of Brad), a boy from
school she fancies. So, in a trice, poor Tony has his memory erased by a
government official (Jonathan Banks) and even forgets who Violet is. Meanwhile,
the Parrs fail to apprehend the Underminer, and although they save the
destruction of City Hall, they are deprived of their legitimacy and are forced
to go undercover with no financial aid. While Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) contemplates
a new life of office drudgery, a hugely wealthy fan (Bob Odenkirk) suggests a
stunt by Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) to resurrect the Parrs’ reputation, and that
of all superheroes.

The plot
thickens and a new villain emerges with an ingenious modus operandi. Displaying
a canny skill for hypnotechnology, the unknown assailant hypnotizes anybody
exposed to a television, monitor or specially modified goggles. Thus, every
superhero comes under the command of ‘The Screenslaver,’ except those not
subjected to a screen.

Incredibles 2, while posing as a cartoon
for all the family, is actually dealing with some pretty sophisticated issues
here: the subliminal manipulation by the media (in any form) as well as the
gender divide as evinced by the parental duties of Mr and Mrs Incredible. With
Helen Parr out-and-about getting a name for herself, Bob Parr is left at home
coping with disciplinary issues and sleep deprivation. This is all great fun
but the sequel is guilty of over-stretching itself. When Bob Parr discovers
that their baby also has special skills, Brad Bird rather overdoes it. Little
Jack-Jack has not one but seventeen
superpowers, including the ability to leap between dimensions, to replicate
himself innumerable times and to turn into a flaming monster. Throw in a bunch
of new superheroes with their own skillset and the whole thing begins to get terribly
wearying. Incredibles 2 barely stops
to take breath, so that the few diversions from the main thrust of the
narrative prove to be a welcome break. These include a comic showdown between
Jack-Jack and a redoubtable raccoon, as well as a magnificent showhouse that
pays tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright. More of the latter would have reaped
dividends, but the accent is on the action, in keeping with all the other
superhero movies that have congested the multiplex this year.